Welcome to Solar Circle

“People say ‘Jua kali,’ but we know ‘Jua ni mali.’”
(People say the sun is hot today, but we know the hot sun is wealth.)

Solar Circle is a non-profit organization that promotes access to solar power in rural Tanzania, East Africa. Tanzania ranks among the twenty poorest nations in the world, with many having an annual income of less than $500. As a result, the people have little disposable income, limiting access to electricity. Only about 15% of the population in Tanzania has access to electricity. Rural communities are largely unconnected to the electrical grid, and rely upon firewood for cooking and kerosene lamps for light.

Tanzania lies near the equator, so it has twelve hours of sunlight every day. Solar energy thus offers a practical solution to the challenge of electricity access for rural communities.

Solar Circle distributes thousands of solar cookers and lights in the Masasi district of Southern Tanzania, addressing the need for an energy source, and also the high rates of deforestation (and serious respiratory disease) caused by daily use of wood and kerosene as fuel.

Solar Circle is also helping to build a “green” primary school near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, which will be powered by the sun.

Browse our site and learn more about how lives are changing every day and how you can join our circle to touch more lives.